2004 Upper Deck Card Blitz Winners Win a Day With Priest Holmes!
CARLSBAD, CA. (April 11, 2005) – Even though the 2004 Pop Warner season has come to an end, the Kansas City Junior Pee Wee Warriors from Belton will break out the shoulder pads and other gear one more time for a very special occasion this Saturday, April 16, when they attend a clinic hosted by hometown NFL hero Priest Holmes, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 8 to 11-year-old Warriors (of the Kansas City Pop Warner League) won the Grand Prize opportunity-of-a-lifetime in The Upper Deck Company's “The Card Blitz Is On!” contest -- a national wrapper redemption program held during the 2004 Pop Warner Football Season -- by collecting and sending in the most Upper Deck football trading card wrappers to Upper Deck's headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif.
The Warriors and their coaches will be picked up Saturday morning at Center Middle School and shuttled to the Chiefs' Practice Facility where they'll meet Holmes, get their picture taken with him, and participate in drills. They'll then enjoy lunch together at The Original Arthur Bryant's Barbeque on Brooklyn Avenue in Kansas City .
“The Upper Deck Company has provided a great opportunity for me to meet the Junior Pee Wee Warriors and teach them different facets of the game,” said Holmes. “I plan to show them some strategies for reading defenses and some secrets about my running game.”
Priest Holmes is no stranger to Pop Warner, either. He has been a long time supporter of the program, and was honored by Pop Warner with the
"Pop Warner Inspiration to Youth Award" at the 2002 National Scholar Banquet.
“The Warriors are very excited about meeting Priest Holmes,” said Warriors Coach Paul Lasker, whose son Shad Lasker is the quarterback for the Warriors. “This is a dream-come-true for them. Upper Deck sets itself apart from other sports cards and memorabilia companies by affording our country's youth the opportunity to play with and learn from professional athletes. Because of their foresight to provide positive life experiences for today's youth, my family and friends will continue to collect sports cards and memorabilia from Upper Deck's product lines for decades to follow.”
Last year, the Upper Deck Company announced it has entered into an exclusive multi-year deal with Pop Warner to become the “Official Trading Card of Pop Warner Football”.
“As the largest national youth football and cheerleading program, Pop Warner is a perfect match for Upper Deck,” stated Jon Butler, Executive Director of Pop Warner. “It's been exciting to work with Upper Deck, and we know that our young football players enjoyed the great Upper Deck football cards, and the terrific prizes they won in Upper Deck's “The Card Blitz is On!” contest. It's a wonderful way in which to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Pop Warner!”
The Card Blitz Is On! program encouraged Pop Warner teams across the country to purchase and submit their wrappers from 2004 Upper Deck Football trading cards for the opportunity to win the Grand Prize of a clinic with Holmes. Additionally, weekly prizes such as football equipment, trading cards, and videogames were awarded to participating teams over the length of the entire promotion. Upper Deck posted weekly results and standings at www.cardblitz.com so teams could track their performance.
“Partnering with Pop Warner Football is a perfect way for Upper Deck to further show our commitment to bring kids and their families closer to the game of football through sports trading cards,” said Louise Curcio, Vice President of Marketing for Upper Deck. “The Card Blitz Promotion was a great way to introduce sports card collecting to the more than 240,000 Pop Warner players.”
The Upper Deck Co. is a premier global sports and entertainment-publishing company that delivers a portfolio of relevant, innovative and multi-dimensional product experiences to collectors, sports and entertainment enthusiasts.
